Truce or Fool Me Once
by Warfang
Summary: One day after school, Mikado introduces Shizuo to his friends. Rather than tell him they've already met and on bad terms they call a truce to protect Mikado. How long can Izaya keep up the charade?


[Truce- or Fool Me Once]

Mikado nervously fisted his hands on his bag strap, and waited in the hall for the teacher to introduce him. The school, Raira Academy, was huge. His guardian had been called away to work, and actually argued about it being Mikado's first day of school here, before storming off to take out his temper on whatever debtor had tried to run.

Mikado cleaned up the kitchen, and rather than be late, headed off to Raira Academy in his uniform with his bag.

Now, he gulped nervously as Ms. Yagiri shouted at the class, a bark of authority. Mikado listened to her write on the chalk board, and someone hissed 'is she assigning a manga to read?' in the class.

"Miss Yamichika that will be a detention." Sensei announced. "Come on in."

Mikado opened the door and stepped inside. The class wasn't that much different from Saitama. He bowed, and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Ryugamine Mikado. Please take good care of me."

…..

Classes passed in a blur, and then it was lunch. Mikado looked around the packed cafeteria, before heading for the outdoors. The throng moving out there discouraged him, and he wondered where to go.

Ah, perhaps the roof! In mangas, the roof was an okay place to eat lunch! Gripping his lunch, Mikado made his way to the stairs, were few other students with their own lunches were heading. Some had stayed in the classroom with their lunches, and Mikado felt like slapping his forehead for not realizing he could have stayed there.

Well, he wanted to eat on the rooftop now.

But what if he passed his classroom? The girl given detention had kept trying to talk to him, and even passed notes to him! But passing notes was bad, and he told her please not to pass notes to him during class, he didn't want to get her in trouble.

She gaped at him, before making a high pitched noise, screwing up her face, and running away. Mikado worried he had upset her. What if he passed her and she was sobbing? Deciding not to force the situation, he grabbed a stairwell that wasn't busy and followed it up, praying he wouldn't get lost.

Part way up the stairs, he heard a crash. Heart pounding, he stepped off the landing and pushed open the door.

The door closed and clicked behind him. Gulping, Mikado headed further in. The wing appeared empty, but he had heard a crash. A figure was thrown out of a room and laid there, not moving. The door closed, and another sound of something breaking behind the door was heard.

Mikado put his lunch away, back into his trusty bag, and approached the figure. He had dyed blond hair, and a yellow scarf tied around the neck of his hoodie.

Wasn't it too warm for hoodies?

"Are you okay?" Mikado asked him. His voice, which he meant to come out quietly, shattered the silence in the hallway. Inside, the sounds stopped, and then started up again.

Panicked, Mikado grabbed the teen and hauled him up. The door opened, and boy in a red shirt with black hair stepped out.

"Who are you?" He demanded, eyes sweeping over Mikado.

In his flustered state, Mikado claimed "Nurse's office!"

The boy pinned him with a dead panned stare. "Are you a Blue Square?"

"What?" Mikado squeaked. "I'm a person!" He declared. The boy huffed, before wincing and feeling his ribs.

"Y-you need the infirmary! Or the hospital!"

"Nah. Just help us to the science wing. I know someone who can patch us up." The boy, well he was a young man who looked younger, Mikado realized, moved off the door frame and started moving. "Bring the idiot."

"I'm not an idiot." The blond teen slurred. Mikado gripped him under the arm pits and dragged him behind the other boy.

"Uh, I'm Mikado Ryugamine, pleased to meet you!"

"Izaya Orihara, teacher's aide."

"The awesome Kida Masaomi, Vice President of the Yellow Scarves Club."

"Club?" Mikado questioned.

"Tch. There was a violent gang war, so now all the students are in clubs to keep them 'off the streets'." Orihara-sempai grumbled, weaving slightly. Mikado shifted so that Kida-sempai's arm was over his shoulder, and then grabbed the back of Orihara-sempai's shirt.

"Uhm, you need help. Please lean on me." Mikado told him.

"You ordering me, brat?" Orihara-sempai snarled.

"I'm informing you." Mikado replied.

Orihara-sempai's face twisted, and then he laughed. His head thrown back, his chest heaving. Mikado froze. That laugh didn't sound happy. It sounded hysterical and broken.

"It's for your own good!" Mikado snapped. Orihara-sempai's mouth clicked shut.

Mikado felt he should apologize, but he squashed it viciously. He was used to ordering people to take care of themselves, his guardian was the worst when it came to looking after himself.

"And because you should take care of yourself, you are going to the science wing if I have to carry you!" Mikado finished. Izaya looked at him. Really looked at him, and then shook his head.

"No way…after all this time…you?" He muttered.

Mikado squared his shoulders. There wasn't much he could do, but getting people to take care of themselves was one thing.

Izaya stepped back and slung his arm over Mikado's shoulder.

"Well then, your highness, carry me to the Science wing. It's down those steps and across the hall."

Mikado nodded.

He carried most of their weight down the steps, and they finally arrived at the hallway, leading to an older building.

"I don't remember this on the map…" Mikado realized.

"That's because only people with access go in there. Not only is it old, but it's got the expensive chemicals in there. Plus Shinra."

Wondering who this "Shinra" was, Mikado followed Izaya into the hallway.

….

Shinra turned out to be a medical student there with the Nurse, but he worked mostly on dead bodies.

He patched Izaya and Kida up, and then sent them off. Mikado started after them. "Ah, wait, Ryugamine-kun. Don't you want to wash the blood off and eat lunch? I'll write you a pass to your next class." Shinra offered.

"Blood?" Mikado echoed. Sure enough, there was a slightly brown stain on his uniform. Mikado stripped and handed the jacket over; relieved the stain hadn't bled through to his white shirt. Shinra went over to a basin and began washing out the jacket. Izaya sighed.

"So, Mikado, new to school?" he asked.

Mikado nodded. "I started today. My guardian recommended Raira, and my parents wanted to move abroad to follow their work, so I moved in."

"A guardian?"

"Yes. He hardly knows how to take care of himself. I mean, he can cook, and clean, and he showers and does laundry, but when he catches a cold…I had to scold him too."

"Are you going to apologize for scolding me?" Izaya asked, his mouth twitching.

"Nope!" Mikado chirped back.

Kida laughed. Izaya shot him a dirty look, but Kida was beaming.

"Anyways. Stay away from the Blue Squares, if they catch wind you helped us, you're dead meat." Izaya told him.

"Uhm…why?" Mikado blinked at him.

Shinra turned off the water. "I don't think he knows what the Blue Squares are. Did you mention it was the color gangs that were shut down?"

Kida nodded. "You have heard of the color gangs, right?"

"Uhm, I arrived in the city last night. My guardian would write, and I think he mentioned some kids being put in jail, and a brother receiving the death sentence from the underworld, but nothing else."

Izaya sighed again. Kida opened up Mikado's bag and tossed his food at him. Mikado flailed and caught the sandwich. Tearing off the wrapper, he ate his food. Izaya glared at the sandwich.

Mikado held the other half out to him.

Izaya shook his head.

Ruuuumble

Mikado waved the sandwich around. Swallowing, he crackled "This is 747, requesting landing permission."

Kida snorted. Shinra giggled behind him. Izaya's mouth dropped in shock.

"Oglmph!" Biting off the food, Izaya chewed and swallowed.

"And I can imitate trains too, if you keep refusing." Mikado informed him. Kida excused himself, and Shinra pulled up a chair.

Izaya swallowed his pride and his mouthful, accepting the food. Something dinged when they finished eating, and Mikado shrugged on his cleaned jacket.

Shinra held up a piece of paper. "If there's trouble, just give the teacher this. Take care, Ryugamine-kun!"

Mikado bowed, and headed out.

Kida caught up with them, and they walked back across the hallway.

"Aren't you going to ask about the others?" Kida questioned him.

"Do the others matter?" Mikado replied. "They attacked both of you, and left Kida-kun to die in the hallway from unconscious bleeding. They knew that. What they have coming to them is something they caused. They have no one to blame but themselves, and only their strength to solve their problem. They do not sound like kind people, and cannot expect the kindness of others. That does not mean they do not deserve kindness, just that those who cause harm will come to harm." Mikado rationalized.

Kida spun out in front of them. "I've decided! After hearing such amazing wisdom, I, Kida Masaomi, shall be your vassal! Within the halls of this school, I, the vice president of Yellow Scarves, will serve you! My club is at your command!"

"Ah-ah, shouldn't you ask your president before you decide that?"

"Well, you're president now." Kida said, raising from his knee he fell to to proclaim his new position.

Izaya stretched his neck to both sides. "Kida's vice president because he accidentally filled out the wrong form. So now you're President of the club. Drop by the office after school and Kida will bring you in."

Mikado panicked. "But I'm already part of a club! My guardian signed me up for Dollars!"

The bell rang out over their head. Lunch was over.

"That's okay! There's no school rule saying you can't be in both!" Kida cheered.

"O-okay." Mikado replied.

Izaya slung an arm over his shoulders and guided him to a main hall. "Besides, if you're President of one club, you can be a member of another club. So, since you don't hold a position and a legacy is saying you should enter the club, just keep your grades up and everything will be fine."

Izaya and Kida peeled away for the second-grade classes, and Mikado found his next class as the bell rang.

Erika wasn't in class.

….

She was in his next class, the last class for the day before club. She paid attention, and the moment the bell rang, shot out of her seat and next to Mikado without packing up.

"You're like a manga character! I'm so amazed!"

"I thought I had hurt your feelings?" Mikado wondered why she was clasping his hand. She laughed and shook her head.

"No, no. You're just so sweet! Oh! And don't mess with Orihara Izaya or Masaomi Kida. They're two second years that used to be gang leaders. Well, Izaya's a student aid for the second years. But they're really dangerous. Who else to avoid? Well, don't get left alone with the teachers. Scary stuff can happen!"

Like getting left with carrying heavy stuff? Mikado wondered.

"Erika! Time to go!"

"Ah! Walker! Be right there! Take care, Ryugamine-kun!" Erika waved goodbye, threw her things in her bag and bounced out the door.

She was out the door when Mikado realized he had already met Izaya and Kida, and was about to go meet them again. Checking his watch, Mikado rationalized that nothing too severe could happen in the fifteen minutes before Shizuo came to pick him up.

…..

Kida shot into the room as Mikado put the last book in his bag, slipping the rest into his locker.

"Geez, Anri-chan, I'm just getting the Yellow Scarves President!"

"Well, you're supposed to be in club, and as a school disciplinary enforcer, I must escort you to and from undesignated areas." A girl with round glasses informed him. "And who did you decide would become the Yellow Scarves' President?"

"That would be me." Mikado straightened and bowed to her. "Ryugamine Mikado, at your service."

Anri-chan blinked at him.

"Are you the new transfer student?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Well, if this idiot gets you in over your head, just contact the slashers. It's what the rest of the school calls my children. We're in charge of discipline. I hope to never see you in there." Anri gave a chilling smile.

Mikado felt his heart skip a beat.

His heart disconnected the filter between his brain and his mouth.

"You're very beautiful, Sonohara-san."

Kida's jaw dropped open. "What kind of pick-up line is that?"

"It's not a pick up line. It's a fact. She has an honest and caring soul, and that makes her beautiful." Mikado felt his filters reengage after saying that out loud.

Sonohara-san was staring at him with wide eyes, her face pale. Then her eyes seem to glow red, and she blushed.

"I…thank you, Ryugamine-kun. I'll escort both of you to the Registrars."

Mikado nodded and followed her out, Kida falling into step next to him.

"Hey, it's not like you'll have responsibility. It's more like, since you saved us from the Blue Squares, this is my way of protecting you. I mean, if you want to run Yellow Scarves with me, I'm all for it. But you increase the risk of making poor Anri-chan disappointed." Kida spouted.

Mikado nodded.

Anri-chan looked behind her. "So you're the one Izaya-san proclaimed his love for."

Mikado stopped walking. "What!"

Kida waved his hand. "She means, Izaya-san loves humans. It's a well known war between the two of them, who controls the most of the student population. Izaya-san's the one you go to for information, but Anri-chan provides protection. Their war is a quiet one."

Kida gave Mikado a big grin. "But they won't fight over you since I got to you first."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Izaya drawled, coming up behind them.

Anri-chan swung a wooden sword at Izaya.

Huh? Where was she hiding that? Mikado wondered. Kida pulled him to the side of the hallway, leaning back against the wall.

"Izaya-san. Return to the classroom." Anri ordered.

Izaya raised his hands as though in surrender. "I'm afraid I was called to the office. You can check when we get there. Something to do about a boy going to the hospital."

Anri's eyes narrowed at him behind her glasses. She gazed at him, and then her head twitched slightly to the side, before she lowered her bokun.

"Alright. Walk with us."

"Of course, beautiful Anri-chan." Izaya shot back. Mikado felt something ruffle past him, and a loud crack came where Izaya was standing.

"Geez, you can't take a joke, can you?" Izaya taunted. Mikado jerked his head to stare past Kida to where Izaya was standing further down the hall. Anri had slammed her sword into the ground, and Izaya was at least two meters back from her.

"Uhm, I have to meet someone to get picked up. I don't have time for this." Mikado told Kida.

Three heads turned to look at him. Anri put her sword somewhere, dusted her skirt, and resumed leading.

Kida pushed off and slung an arm around Mikado. "Don't worry, this won't take long. Just some paperwork and we'll see you off at the main gate!"

Izaya trailed after them.  
_But there's no way, right? I only called Sonohara-san beautiful a few minutes ago…_

…..

The Registrar lady had short blond hair that fanned out, and she snapped a photo of them together while they waited for her to find the paperwork. Her clothes were a bit…peppy for a work place, but she had a bright smile.

"Here you go! Just sign your name and student id number after reading through this. There's no fee, Masaomi-kun already paid."

"Uhm, I'm supposed to be in Dollars as well…" Her face lit up!

"Ah, yes, your legacy member has already cleared that with us. He'll get you set up tonight. It's actually a network group on the internet, and it spans this school and a couple others." She beamed at him.

Mikado nodded.

"Ah, we hear so much about your guardian. Who is he?" Kida complained.

"Well," Mikado answered, scribbling his initials at each paragraph, "he's coming to pick me up, so why don't I introduce you?"

Izaya stepped out of an office, a cheery expression on his face.

"Introduce us to who?"

"My guardian." Mikado smiled, signing his name and pulling out his wallet, located his id card and wrote it down.

"Thank you! Have a nice day!" She chirped at them.

"Thank you!" Mikado bowed, heading out of the room. Anri-chan followed them to the front door, and watched as they changed their flippers for shoes.

"Take care, Sonohara-san!" Mikado waved back.

She raised a hand and waved back.

Mikado went outside first, and looked around. Mikado and Izaya emerged after him, and Mikado spotted a familiar mop of blond hair above the crowd by the front gate. He ran forward, his arms out.

"Shizuo-san!"

….

Shizuo noticed him, bending down to sweep him up and spin him around, his monstrous strength making Mikado laugh.

"Shizuo-san! I made some friends! This is Kida Masaomi, and that's Orihara Izaya!" Kida and Izaya were close behind Mikado, like they had run after him when he bolted.

….

Mikado beamed at Izaya and Kida.

"I would like to introduce the man who's like my own cousin. He's looked after me since my parents moved, and has made so much possible for me. I'd be in an institution of not for him!" Kida's eyes widened as he looked up and up.

Izaya's eyes narrowed as he meet reflected sunglasses.

A stream of smoke breezed past.

"…It's nice to meet you. Please take good care of Mikado." Shizuo then snapped the cigarette in half, stubbed it out but grinding it against the provided sand, and flung it into the trash.

Izaya raised his hands.

"It's nice to meet you too. Mikado's such a sweet heart; you just have to watch out for the other classes."

Kida nodded dumbly, his voice having run away for a moment. Finally, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind-

"How about we go to a café and talk some more. I'm staying at Izaya's for a study party, so my parents won't worry. What about you two?"

Mikado exhaled. "I was afraid you were about to ask Shizuo to come pick up chicks." He laughed.

Kida shook his head, and Izaya clapped a hand on him before he just kept shaking.

"That's sounds like a great idea. My treat. A coffee shop alright with you?" Izaya beamed at them, and then they headed out of the gate of Raira Academy.

….

Mikado excused himself to wash his hands, and Kida went with him.

Shizuo pocketed his sunglasses.

"So, Kasuka actually did give you a bartender outfit. I hear you got a job as a body guard." Izaya launched across the table.

"And I see you're filling in as a student aid for the college. How's that going?" Shizuo threw back.

"Mah, I'm actually curious, did Mikado ever mention us by name to you, or do you live separately?"

"Given my financial situation, we could live separately. Instead, I got him to agree to a three bedroom apartment. His parents were delighted to for me to take him."

Izaya nodded.

"So, he's how new to Ikebukuro?"

"…weren't you there when he transferred in?"

Izaya whistled. "That new, huh? How about this. Mikado is interesting. He's also…fragile."

"Fragile."

"Exactly what I just said. So how about a truce for now? We don't tell him we hate each other's guts, and move on."

Shizuo stared at him.

"He did something."

Izaya met his gaze. He did not flinch, he did not move, he did not blink.

"Fine. But if you hurt him, I'm chasing you not just out of Ikebukuro."

"Agreed. Ah, here they come." Izaya face slid back into a smile.

End Chapter One

Author's Note: Okay, originally, this was going to start with 'Mikado beamed at Izaya and Kida', but suddenly -bam- a back story was demanded, and now a few lines have been changed in the original piece, but I don't think it will change the overall story line.


End file.
